Puttyroot orchids thirst for the winter sun

In fall, the puttyroot orchid lifts a single leaf above the detritus of the forest floor to convert sunlight into food.

Some plants seem to do things backwards. The puttytroot orchid (Aplectrum hymale) is a good example. It's a plant that, as Henry David Thoreau might have put it, "grows to a different drummer." This uncommon and nonshowy wild orchid puts up its single leaf in the fall after the leaves of the forest trees have fallen. The orchid's new leaf stays green and capable of photosynthesizing all through the winter and spring, just lying there on top of the dead tree leaves.

A puttyroot's leaf is thin and has a papery texture and conspicuous veins running lengthwise that give it a seersucker appearance. These leaves are not hurt by subfreezing temperatures. The species is called puttyroot because its root is said to be soft and it can be molded like putty.

In late spring, the puttyroot's leaf withers just as a flower stalk begins to emerge from the ground. By the time it is in full bloom the leaf is entirely gone. This well-adapted plant has its timing down to take advantage of several opportunities: It has sunlight during the winter when the trees around it are leafless and it blooms in the late spring when insects are around to pollinate its small green and brown flowers.

The cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor) is another inconspicuous, uncommon orchid with a similar life cycle, but it blooms in midsummer.

Dealing with a heavy blanket of tree leaves is a problem for any small woodland plant that is green in the winter. As most people know, a thick layer of dead leaves can kill a section of lawn or small garden plants, whereas a layer of chopped leaves can make a very good mulch when placed around plants. Many plants use a strategy of avoidance and evasion to survive. They find a spot in the forest where there are no leaves. Since wild plants don't have gardeners to remove leaves, they are dependent on chance to determine if their seed or spore lands in a good position.

For mosses, a spot on a rock, log or tree trunk will work, but there isn't much nutrition available for rooted plants in those places. On slopes and hillsides that are blown clear of leaves by the wind, you may find trailing arbutus (Epigea repens) and partridgeberry (Mitchella repens). These creeping plants are familiar in local woods. The repens part of their scientific name means to creep or crawl, so you know they are real ground huggers. They both have leaves that stay green all winter and do a lot of photosynthesizing to produce food from sunlight, air and water while the trees are bare. They can't survive being covered for the winter like plants that go dormant. Trailing arbutus and partridgeberry often find the conditions they like best along roads and road cuts.

So next time you are walking in the winter woods, keep an eye out for green leaves on the ground. It may be one of these little but tough winter growing plants.

Mike Slater is a naturalist who lives in Brecknock Township, where he is an active member of the Mengel Natural History Club of Berks County and the Muhlenberg Botanic Society of Lancaster. He is also a member of the Baird Ornithological Club. Reach him at paplantings@gmail.com.